Minnesota Communities Employing New Water Treatment Practice
Several Minnesota communities have begun utilizing or moving towards advanced oxidation treatment plants in order to remove an overabundance of the 1,4-dioxane contaminant prominent in the state. The process includes using UV to effectively treat the tainted water for a variety of contaminants.
This recent movement towards advanced oxidation treatment began when the town of St. Anthony recognized elevated levels of 1,4-dioxane in their water supply, which is taken entirely from the ground.
The town took prompt action to prevent the contaminant from exceeding regulations put in place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), completing the new plant in a matter of months. “We really don’t have an alternative water supply,” said city engineer Todd Hubmer.
“We immediately shut down the one well that was over one ppb and we operated the other two wells.”
The origin of the uptick of the contaminant was subsequently traced to the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills, Minn., after a significant portion of the specific contaminant was located underground.
In the wake of this recent construction, two further advanced oxidation treatment plants have been planned for the towns of New Brighton, Minn., and St. Louis Park, Minn. This marks another substantial step towards water purification by the state after the city of Minneapolis spent $63 million to upgrade its 100-year-old filtration plant.